Busted - Getting back to the States ain't easy

[billski]

Got mired in the escalated TSA security process right after Christmas. We had been out of the country during the Detroit incidents and man, the TSA was on edge. I essentially had to get screened three times before they let me back into my own country.

1. Carry ons pre-inspected "for size" and tagged, before security.
2. Usual body metal detector, usual carry on scan.
While we waited, every single person who went near the plane, including pilots, crew, fuel truck driver, toilet cleaner, had to undergo a full body search. Bomb sniffing dogs were crawling all over our luggage.
3. Full Body Search - remove everything from pockets - they snagged the tissue in my pocket.
4. Full hand-search of all carry ons. Confiscated water I purchased after going through first security scan.
5. Allowed on the plane.
6. Landed in the states, had to claim luggage, went through immigration, then customs,, had to re-check luggage while doggies sniffed, then had to go through another security checkpoint - another body metal detector, another carry on scan, along with dog sniffing before we were allowed to proceed to our connecting flight.


Honestly, I have no complaints, though I do know about people who missed connecting flights because the process added about hour and a half to the overall journey, maybe more. Now I'm glad our layover was 4 hours.

 

[Greg]

I say good.

 

[ctenidae]

I say good.

I disagree, because it's clearly not very effective.

If nothing else, they still let billski back in.

 

[Marc]

I disagree, because it's clearly not very effective.

If nothing else, they still let billski back in.

Exhibit B: you're still here

Homeland Security is 0 and 2.

 

[billski]

I disagree, because it's clearly not very effective.

If nothing else, they still let billski back in.

This is true, they really blew it. 8) I would have thought being a member of AZ automatically put you on the TSA "list."

In 1980, when I was single, my ski bud and I went to Kitzbuhel/St. Anton for 2 weeks. We were, shall we say, unkempt. Unshaven, still wearing wrinkled duds we had from college. Our ski bags were full of dirty underwear. Even our passports made us look like creeps (some things don't change )
Boy, did we get the shake down. After an overnighter, with a layover in Iceland where we met some very fine alcoholics (the bars open at 6am), we arrived. We were questioned, re-questioned, had a private audience with a drill sergeant. The dude had a hard time believing we were "just there to ski." They told me my handwritten receipt for a nice watch wasn't good enough, I needed a "real receipt." Desperate for a reason to refuse us entry, they made us unpack all our bags while they watched. Finally they begrudgingly admitted us, all our chit strewn all over tables.

Once I had kids and traveled with my family, immigration seemed a breeze. In fact, they seemed genuinely sorry for us

 

[dmc]

I flew a lot the months after 911 - commuting each week to Atlanta.

Was CONSTANTLY pulled out of the line with no issues what so ever... The TSA(not sure if it was TSA yet) would say - "wow - you pretty cool about this"... My comment was always "I lived in full view of the WTC when is was attacked - this is the least of my worries - glad to oblige"

I'm glad my (hopefully) next job is in NYC and won't require international travel.. Not that I mind - I just don't want to deal with it..

 

[billski]

I flew a lot the months after 911 - commuting each week to Atlanta.

Was CONSTANTLY pulled out of the line with no issues what so ever... The TSA(not sure if it was TSA yet) would say - "wow - you pretty cool about this"... My comment was always "I lived in full view of the WTC when is was attacked - this is the least of my worries - glad to oblige"

I'm glad my (hopefully) next job is in NYC and won't require international travel.. Not that I mind - I just don't want to deal with it..

Young single males = red flag

 

[dmc]

Desperate for a reason to refuse us entry, they made us unpack all our bags while they watched. Finally they begrudgingly admitted us, all our chit strewn all over tables.

Had some guards in Kashmir do that to me.. It totally sucked but i didn't care.. I was pissed that they were smiling - almost enjoying it... But whatever it takes... Only thing that made them afraid was the AVI transceiver.. I had to ask my friend to pull his so we could show them what it did... They actaully thought it was cool...

AVI transceivers stopped us in Dubai and Delhi too... Strange device... Straps for the body..

 

[dmc]

Young single males = red flag

Beard too....

In Dubai the guys that smoked cigarettes were ALL searched - like pull up your shirt and stuff searched.. We think it was because they looked so stressed from not having a smoke in 14 hours...

 

[billski]

Beard too....

In Dubai the guys that smoked cigarettes were ALL searched - like pull up your shirt and stuff searched.. We think it was because they looked so stressed from not having a smoke in 14 hours...

That's good. Makes sense though.

 

[riverc0il]

Got mired in the escalated TSA security process right after Christmas. We had been out of the country during the Detroit incidents and man, the TSA was on edge. I essentially had to get screened three times before they let me back into my own country.

1. Carry ons pre-inspected "for size" and tagged, before security.
2. Usual body metal detector, usual carry on scan.
While we waited, every single person who went near the plane, including pilots, crew, fuel truck driver, toilet cleaner, had to undergo a full body search. Bomb sniffing dogs were crawling all over our luggage.
3. Full Body Search - remove everything from pockets - they snagged the tissue in my pocket.
4. Full hand-search of all carry ons. Confiscated water I purchased after going through first security scan.
5. Allowed on the plane.
6. Landed in the states, had to claim luggage, went through immigration, then customs,, had to re-check luggage while doggies sniffed, then had to go through another security checkpoint - another body metal detector, another carry on scan, along with dog sniffing before we were allowed to proceed to our connecting flight.


Honestly, I have no complaints, though I do know about people who missed connecting flights because the process added about hour and a half to the overall journey, maybe more. Now I'm glad our layover was 4 hours.

The only thing that upsets me about this type of security is the fact that it will be relaxed by a significant factor in as little as a few months. Obviously not you Bill as you noted that you were cool with this, but some people will start complaining and people will forget and things will get lax again. Hope they are doing this for domestic flights as well, not just international (minus customs of course). I am all for those X-Ray machines... this is the one time in my life I will say ACLU be damned, let's get some folks looking at private areas and lets scan some body cavities. I am okay if they train some ladies to frisk the gents as well.

 

[dmc]

I am okay if they train some ladies to frisk the gents as well.

In the middle east and India they have separate security lines for men and women..
Women get searched in a curtained booth for privacy if a pat down is needed..

 

[billski]

In the middle east and India they have separate security lines for men and women..
Women get searched in a curtained booth for privacy if a pat down is needed..

We had separate men and women search lines in Costa Rica. All pat downs were in the view of everyone. It was only then that I realized there must have been 4x as many women as men on our flight. Hmmmm.

 

[billski]

let's get some folks looking at private areas and lets scan some body cavities.

Many drug couriers are expert at these methods and are quite successful, according ot most reports I've see.

It seems the biggest risk is if the merchandise isn't well packaged - they die.

 

[riverc0il]

Many drug couriers are expert at these methods and are quite successful, according ot most reports I've see.

It seems the biggest risk is if the merchandise isn't well packaged - they die.

Maria Full of Grace is an awesome movie detailing drug smuggling via mules ingesting pellets of contraband and its associated risks. Highly recommended bump on the Netflix list for those that have not seen it.

 

[BeanoNYC]

I recently read an article that hit home. In a nutshell the security expert who wrote it said that only two changes since 9/11 has proven effective in air safety:

1) The securing of cockpits during flight.
2) The realization for passengers that they must fight back during a terrorist attempt.

 

[Geoff]

I recently read an article that hit home. In a nutshell the security expert who wrote it said that only two changes since 9/11 has proven effective in air safety:

1) The securing of cockpits during flight.
2) The realization for passengers that they must fight back during a terrorist attempt.

I agree with that 100%. I think the Christmas bomber a few weeks ago should have been dismembered by the passengers and fed to the dogs. You do that a few times and it stops.

If somebody is willing to die, today's security won't stop somebody from blowing up an airplane. Anyone with a basic knowledge of chemestry can create a bomb on the plane out of solids that will make it through security. Shaking down old ladies for their lipstick isn't making the airplane safer.

 

[wa-loaf]

It's going to happen sooner or later. The security lines themselves make nice targets. Blow something up with all the people standing around and you'll quickly disrupt air travel.

 

[WakeboardMom]

Okay, so two guys who's opinions I respect (Geoff and wa-loaf) have just succeeded in scaring the sh*t outta me. We all gotta die of somethin' so I guess I'm really not gonna change anything except get to the airport earlier.

And because of that, it means less east coast city-to-city flights. Yeah, MHT to BWI is only 39 bucks, but it's gonna take me just as long to get there...!

And one thing that Billski posted makes me happy. The search of carry-on lugguage due to "size requirements." I wish the airlines would enforce that sh*t. I know that you business travelers often don't wanna have to deal with checking your luggage, but do you know how annoying some of you are??? Trying to shove over-size sh*t into the overhead bin while the rest of us twiddle our thumbs and the flight is held up. GET OVER IT. Check it, goddammit.

Oh...and the other thing? The privacy issue over the full-body-scan-X-ray things...? GET OVER YOURSELF on that one, too!! Get scanned and move on with your life for cryin' out loud. Did you miss it?? Cameron Diaz was in line in front of you. They're too busy saving, copying-and-pasting her sh*t to worry about yours.

 

[billski]

Okay, so two guys who's opinions I respect (Geoff and wa-loaf) have just succeeded in scaring the sh*t outta me. We all gotta die of somethin' so I guess I'm really not gonna change anything except get to the airport earlier.

And because of that, it means less east coast city-to-city flights. Yeah, MHT to BWI is only 39 bucks, but it's gonna take me just as long to get there...!

And one thing that Billski posted makes me happy. The search of carry-on lugguage due to "size requirements." I wish the airlines would enforce that sh*t. I know that you business travelers often don't wanna have to deal with checking your luggage, but do you know how annoying some of you are??? Trying to shove over-size sh*t into the overhead bin while the rest of us twiddle our thumbs and the flight is held up. GET OVER IT. Check it, goddammit.

Oh...and the other thing? The privacy issue over the full-body-scan-X-ray things...? GET OVER YOURSELF on that one, too!! Get scanned and move on with your life for cryin' out loud. Did you miss it?? Cameron Diaz was in line in front of you. They're too busy saving, copying-and-pasting her sh*t to worry about yours.

In Atlanta, Delta got half the flight boarded, and made an announcement that based on what was observed carried-on, no further carry ons would be placed in the overhead bins. They forced everyone else to check everything. The problem with that method is that people are now going to kill each other to be first in line.

I would not worry about terrorism in an airport line. You could do that anywhere you want in all sorts of environments. The impact is not as great as hijinxing a flying missle. There are much more effective ways of damaging us, which I'm not going to get into here.